Tell Him
by tradlover
Summary: A short story inspired by the song "Break up with Him" by Old Dominion. Set at the beginning of the series, while Sookie is still with Bill.
1. Chapter 1

_**This very short story was inspired by the song "Break up with Him" by Old Dominion. It will be approximately ten chapters or so, with an average word count of 500 - 1000 words per chapter. Shorter and more to the point than my normal style, but this one is all written and just needs editing and polishing as I get the chapters out to you.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy!**_

 _ **As always, I do not own these characters. That right and privilege belongs to Charlaine Harris.**_

* * *

The phone rang once, twice and then three times, echoing through the silent house. It was three sixteen and most reasonable folks would have hung up the phone, or not called at such an ungodly hour in the first place. The vampire on the other end of the line didn't give a sweet damn about such niceties and let the phone continue to ring four, five and six times. On the seventh ring, his patience was rewarded.

"Hello?" Her drowsy voiced confirmed the obvious and he tried to picture how she must look. Her thick blond hair would be tousled, her blue eyes heavy lidded with sleep. Her luscious lips, so often compressed into a thin, annoyed line, would be soft and full. Curled up under the blankets, her tanned, curvy body would be warm and …

"What are you wearing?"

"What?" Her tone was sharper, but still sleepy. "Who is this?"

"Your future lover." He smirked into the phone. "I'm devastated you don't recognize my voice."

"Eric?"

"Yes, Sookie?"

"I'm not your future lover. I have a boyfriend. Remember Bill?" Her voice was more alert, but she sounded warmly compliant rather than combative.

"Ah, yes. Bill." The vampire's eyes rolled back as he considered Bill Compton. The younger vampire was unsuited on every conceivable level. "He won't last long. I can wait."

"What makes you so sure of yourself?"

"Because he can't give you what you need."

"Bill treats me very well, thank you," she replied automatically, even though the very words lacked conviction. "What is it you think I need?"

"Me." The one word statement was uttered with complete confidence. "I see how you look at me, Sookie."

"And how is that?" She sounded curious rather than wary and Eric smiled to himself. Obviously, the middle of the night was the best time to talk with the telepath who bewitched his thoughts.

"With curiosity. You look at me and you can't help wonder, can you?"

"I can't help wonder where your ego comes from," she retorted quickly, but without any heat.

"You do know we're just wasting precious time here, don't you? It is inevitable, you and I."

"And what about Bill?"

"He's not my type," he chuckled. The deep, husky sound sent goosebumps racing across her skin and she tried to focus her tired brain on her argument rather than acknowledge his sexy banter.

"Did you just call to insult my boyfriend?"

"No, I called to see if you still had a boyfriend." The Civil War veteran was no match for the ancient Viking vampire but he much preferred Sookie coming to him on her own terms. It wouldn't be much longer, he thought.

"Well, I do, so unless there's anything else, I need to go back to sleep." There was a touch of impatience in her voice, but no anger. Eric took it to be a good sign.

"Well, there was one more thing," he replied in a conspiratorial tone.

"What is it?" A yawn nearly covered her words.

"You still haven't told me what you're wearing."

"You're incorrigible," she tutted at him. "Goodnight, Eric."

"Goodnight, my future lover."

* * *

 _ **So, what do you think?**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**You guys totally rock! I can't believe how kind you've all been towards this little story. Hope you enjoy this installment!**_

 _ **As always, I only wish I owned these characters. That right belongs to Charlaine Harris**_.

* * *

Her hand flailed around in the dark, knocking the alarm clock to the floor before locating the ringing telephone. Leaning over the bed, she picked up the clock, noting it's green numerals reading 3:41.

"Hello?"

"Is tonight my lucky night?"

"Eric?"

"Ahh," he replied in a satisfied tone. "You do know my voice."

"Who else is crazy enough to call me in the middle of the night?" As before, her voice was husky with sleep.

"Doesn't Bill ever call to whisper sweet nothings?" Silence met his question and he laughed softly.

"Bill has been busy, just so you know," she answered as he laughed.

"I would never be too busy for you."

"He makes plenty of time for me," she told him, even as she chastised herself for lying. Truth was, he really hadn't been making much time for her. With his head buried in whatever project it was he was involved with, Sookie had barely seen her vampire boyfriend lately. She tried not to mind too much, but having a gorgeous giant of a man rubbing it in didn't help.

"When are you going to stop pretending? You're not in love with him. Stringing him along like this is not going to help."

"How do you know I don't love him? What makes you an expert on me?"

"A woman in love would never look at me the way you do."

"Are we back to this again?" His sensitive vampire hearing detected the faint rustling of the blankets, accompanied by the slight squeak of the bed as she readjusted her position. She was far more alert this time and still showed no signs of anger towards him, even as he ripped apart her relationship. "You're reading way too much into a look, Eric. However I looked at you doesn't matter. I'm with Bill."

"But you don't love him," he repeated his claim. "And I've been around far too long to ignore what I see and I know what I saw on your face."

"So, I was curious about you. Is that so strange to you? Even without knowing you're a vampire, you'd still be interesting. I'm sure plenty of folks are curious about you."

"What do you find so interesting, if not my enormous appeal?" This was why he couldn't shake her from his thoughts. It was him she found interesting, not necessarily the vampire he was. He'd been around long enough to know the difference.

"Oh, come on! You sit up on that stage in your throne, for cripes sake, all handsome and mysterious, portraying this brooding, I don't give a damn attitude! Bill told me you were the oldest vampire there and even said…," her words trailed off. "You get the picture. Of course you're interesting."

"What did Bill say?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. Point is, you're reading way too much into it. I'm with Bill"

"You keep saying that, but I don't hear you saying you're his."

"Jesus! We're dating. It's not like he owns me." Her distaste was clear in her otherwise sleepy voice. "No matter what y'all think, you can't own a human."

"Don't humans take ownership of their relationships and significant others? Don't you refer to Bill as 'your boyfriend'? People say it all the time - my husband, my girlfriend."

"First of all, that's how language works. We're not trying to literally own one another and somehow I suspect that in your world, that's precisely what it means."

"Sometimes it does," he agreed easily. "But I don't want to own you, sweet Sookie. What would be the fun in that?"

"What do you want, Eric? You can't just keep callin' me like this."

"Why not?" The corners of his mouth turned upward as he teased her. It had been a very long time since he'd met anyone with her fire.

"Because I've got a boyfriend, remember?" Her tone evidenced her exasperation, but all he noted was the lack of annoyance. "Now tell me what you want."

"I want for you not to have a boyfriend," he told her with a chuckle.

"Eric?"

"Yes, Sookie?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, my future lover."

"In your dreams, buster."

He laughed as he hung up the phone, knowing full well he'd be starring in whatever dreams came her way tonight.

It was a satisfying feeling.

* * *

 _ **So? What do you all think?**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'm overwhelmed by the response to this story. You're all completely awesome and I hope you keep enjoying it.**_

 _ **As always, I don't own these characters. Charlaine Harris does.**_

* * *

It was warm and cozy under the blankets and Sookie snuggled deeper into the bed, the phone held firmly between her ear and the pillow. Moonlight filtered through the lacy curtains, but the telepath's eyes remained closed as she the rich timbre of Eric's voice coaxed her into wakefulness.

"Are these calls even real?"

He laughed softly at her sleep-laced query. Tonight found her less coherent than evenings past, but still entertaining and engaging. He found himself wondering how much of their talks she really remembered in the morning.

"Do you think you're dreaming?" Even with the sizable dose of Bill's blood rampaging in her system, the ancient vampire didn't doubt he was the star of her recent dreams.

"It doesn't feel like a dream." The dreams she'd had of him, of which there'd been more than what she considered healthy, never involved phone calls. Ever.

"Check your phone display if you have doubt," he suggested helpfully.

"I don't have display," she told him.

"I thought all modern phones had that feature," he responded quizzically.

"Yeah, well, we're not too modern out this way. My phones don't have a display on them." The old farmhouse boasted two landlines, the old black rotary dial she was using in the bedroom and the wall mounted beige touch tone in the kitchen. They were in stark contrast to the sleek cellphone held carelessly by the vampire.

"I could come out there next time," he suggested helpfully.

"Phone calls in the middle of the night are more than enough to deal with," she replied hastily, trying desperately to ignore the pleasant warmth his words produced. "I just wonder sometimes if I'm imagining all this."

"Why do you doubt reality?"

"Because it doesn't make sense," she replied with a yawn. "Why would the great and powerful Eric Northman be wasting his time callin' me?"

He was powerful, and she would soon find out just how great he could be, but it was the inflection in her tone that interested him the most. She managed to make her statement of fact sound more like a dubious distinction, at best. The telepath was thoroughly uninterested in his greatness and power and Eric found himself questioning why he found this _almost_ sign of disrespect arousing.

"I just want to know if you followed up on our conversation," he replied in a silkily seductive tone. "Have you told him that it's over?"

"Honestly, you have a one track mind. Is Bill all you ever think about?"

"No. But he intrudes when I think about you." His declaration was annoyingly true. It was only her attachment to him that made Bill Compton interesting. "Stringing him along like you are is just wasting precious time. You know he's not the one for you."

His persistent observations were aggravating, provocative, thought provoking and flattering. Her relationship with Bill was none of those things, not even aggravating. She should be more annoyed by his lackluster attention, but she found herself thinking less and less of Bill all the time. Her late night conversations with the Viking provided more than enough fodder for her over-analyzing ways.

"Whether or not he's the one for me, he's the one I have right now," she argued. "And I don't think he'd be all that happy with us talking about him like this."

"You haven't told him of my calls?" A self-satisfied smirk rested easily on his firm lips. "Are you keeping secrets from your boyfriend, lover?"

"No, I haven't told him, and stop callin' me that. It's not appropriate."

"It's not, is it?" He answered in a reflective tone, but his next words shattered the illusion. "Unfortunately, 'my future lover' doesn't roll off the tongue as easily."

"You think you're pretty clever, don't you?" Her query held no anger or condemnation. "That term is no more accurate than the first."

"It's yourself you're trying to fool, right? Because you're not fooling me for even a moment. I know you want me and you'll come to me when you let go of this misguided loyalty you have to him."

"You're delusional," she retorted. "Even if I wasn't with Bill, what makes you think I'd come running to you?"

"Because he's your only excuse. What else keeps you from my side right now?" He only paused briefly, but she offered no answer. "Break up with him and we'll see what happens."

"You're growing more delusional by the minute. To save you from further embarrassing yourself, I'm going to hang up now," she declared in as haughty a voice as her sleepy self could muster.

"This is not over. You do know that, right? You and I are inevitable, my future lover." His voice was husky and seductive and hitting every one of the right notes but she couldn't back down now.

"Good night, Eric."

"Goodnight night, Sookie. Sleep well, little one."

* * *

 _ **Would you let him interrupt your sleep every night? I would!**_

 _ **Like it?**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Another installment for you all...hope you enjoy. A huge thank you to everyone who's been so encouraging about this story.**_

 _ **As always, these characters are not mine.**_

* * *

Fangtasia had been booming tonight and with the cash flowing over the bar came the problems only bar owners knew to anticipate. Eric was grateful to retreat to the silence of his office, but even more grateful he still had something to look forward to. The vampire found himself anticipating their nightly talks and sat behind his desk with a smile on his face.

Instead of ringing multiple times and having a warm, sleepy voice greeting him, she instead picked up on the first ring.

"Eric?"

"Were you waiting up for me, Sookie?" What was meant to be nothing more than charming repartee made the ancient vampire consider, for the first time ever, what it might be like to have someone waiting for him at home. It was a strangely seductive thought.

"No. Well, yes, really, but not in the way you mean it," she qualified smartly.

"So you were waiting for me."

"But only so I could speak with you. Awake, I mean." A nervous laugh came through the phone line.

"Even better," he declared. "You were waiting up because you _want_ to talk with me. I'm curious now. Do you talk in your sleep?"

"None of your business," she shot back quickly. Awake Sookie was far more guarded than her sleepy counterpart. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about, though."

"Sleep talking? I can assure you I don't. Vampires die; we don't sleep."

"No, not sleep talking!" Her laugh was slightly more natural this time and the vampire smiled in response. There was no doubt she was warming to his advances. "And I don't know if it's sleep or not, but I don't think y'all just die every morning, day after day."

"We are dead," he reminded her bluntly. He was accustomed to humans romanticizing the vampire condition, but he had hoped she wouldn't fall prey to the same behaviour.

"Are you really? When did you die, exactly?" Her tone was sassy, but he sensed a deeper train of thought emerging.

"Over a thousand years ago. Trust me, I am dead."

"You can't turn a corpse, right?"

"No. There has to be a spark of life left."

"So, you didn't die so much as you were transformed," she continued. "Death, as I understand it, is the absence of life. You, and every vampire I've met, are full of life. Seems a bit of a contradiction, don't you think?"

"I can see how you think so," he replied after a moment. Her statement had taken him aback; he'd never considered the vampire condition from that particular perspective and found himself wondering what other unique viewpoints she might offer. "But I'm more interested in knowing what you want to talk about. Are you finally going to tell me it's over between you and Bill?"

"No, I'm not." Her tone was chock full of conviction. It was a shame the vampire could not see the doubt and indecision written across her features, however. That look spoke volumes about the current state of their relationship. "I want you to tell me what you want from me."

"Where should I start, sweet Sookie?" His teasing hid the true depth of his nearly visceral response to her words. There was much he wanted from the telepath.

"You can start by cutting out the flirting, mister. I keep telling you I have a boyfriend and whatever this is going on between us is pretty darned inappropriate, don't you think?"

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No." It was hardly the word for the sensations he provoked. "But you can't keep calling me just to flirt, so if there's something you're really after, you better tell me now."

"First of all, there's nothing inappropriate going on. We're just talking; getting to know one another. Second, there's nothing wrong with flirting, especially with such a beautiful woman."

"There you go again!" Her exclamation was filled with exasperation, but her cheeks turned rosy at his comments. "I know you probably say these things to all the women you meet, but you can't keep saying them to me. There is Bill and I know you don't mean it, so just cut it out."

"I do not say these things to everyone," he protested. In truth, he complimented very few women and almost never the ones he kept company with. "Why would you think I don't mean my words? Surely you know you're as beautiful as I say you are."

A flush of pleasure may have coloured her cheeks, but her head was slowly shaking back and forth even as he spoke. She knew she wasn't hideous or anything like it, but with so little experience with men - and truthfully, Bill didn't make much effort to flatter her - the telepath really didn't understand her own appeal.

"You carry on like I'm somethin' special and I'm not. I'm just an ordinary country girl." What surprised him the most was how utterly matter-of-fact she was. In his experience, most women overestimated their appeal, not the other way around.

"If all country girls were like you," he told her huskily, "we'd all be living there. You are a unique and desirable woman, Sookie. I would tell you of your beauty every evening, if you would let me."

A deep sigh whispered through the phone line to tickle his eardrum. It was impossible for her not to compare him to her boyfriend, just as it was impossible for him not to beat the comparison. He had all the right words, for all the right moments. It was harder and harder to resist him; it was equally as difficult to remember the point she was trying to make.

"There you go again. If you keep this up, I might start to believe you and then what?"

"Then you might realize it's time to tell him that it's over."

The vampire didn't know how close he was to the mark. His nightly calls had sparked serious daytime deliberation and the telepath was finally starting to question what kept her in a relationship with a man who didn't even have time for her. Even if it were over with Bill, though, it didn't mean she was ready to jump into bed with Eric Northman. He was showing her a different side, but she still believed him to be a dangerous womanizer. Devastatingly handsome and charming, but not the kind of man you gave your heart to.

"It's not over, but even if it were, whatever you think is going to happen between us, it's not." Even to her own ears, her words seemed to lack conviction, no matter how firm her tone.

"What do you think I want to happen, sweet Sookie?"

"Sex."

"I wouldn't say no," he laughed. "And you wouldn't either, if you knew what you were missing."

"It's not going to happen," she replied bluntly. "I'm not the kind of girl to sleep around and you're certainly not the boyfriend type."

"You wound me. You believe me unfit to fill a role currently played by Bill Compton? Whatever he can do, I can do so much better. You have my unbreakable word on that."

"I don't doubt it would be an exhilarating ride, Eric, but would it be worth the fiery crash at the end?"

"Ah! You wound me!" A deep, genuine chuckle travelled through the phone lines. "An exhilarating ride I can promise, but a fiery crash? You have an unique way with words, Ms. Stackhouse, not to mention a pessimistic attitude."

"Are you going to try to pretend I won't be the one picking up the pieces if I give I to your demands?" Her skepticism was evident, but what else could she believe? Bill had told her all about Eric's love 'em and leave 'em ways. The Viking vampire might be the most appealing specimen walking the earth, but monogamous he was not and Sookie knew she could accept nothing else.

"What makes you so sure there will be pieces to pick up?" His tone gave the telepath pause. The vampire sounded...offended. Her flippant accusation cut him in a surprising way. His nightly musings hadn't gone much beyond getting her to yield to him, but there was an uncomfortable truth to her words.

"What makes you believe I'm a girl who would let herself be used and left behind?" She sounded exasperated, but it wasn't him she was getting upset with. It was her own thoughts and treacherous desires that were making her uncomfortable. If the vampire only knew how much she wanted to just say yes.

"And what makes you think that is what I want from you?" The affront was still obvious in his tone, but he didn't care. Truthfully, sex was all he had wanted from the delectable telepath, but could he blamed for his shifting intentions? Every word she spoke drove the hypothetical knife deeper and deeper. Simply hearing her speak of being left behind changed every one of his intentions, even if he didn't actually understand how much they'd shifted.

"I keep asking you what you want, Eric," she reminded him tartly. "So far, you've only admitted to wanting sex. What should I think?"

The silence dragged on. Ten seconds, then twenty, then thirty went by with no reply from the vampire on the other end. A soft, resigned sigh whispered past the telepath's lips.

"That's what I thought," she replied with resignation coloring her tone. "Goodnight, Eric. Please don't call again."

The line disconnected, but it was some time before the vampire pocketed his phone. The conversation did not go the way he'd hoped. Not at all. An uncomfortable, tight feeling grew exponentially larger with every passing second.

He'd fucked up.

Was it too late to fix his mistake? The phone was retrieved and a number entered, but he did not press send.

Enough mistakes had been made this night.

* * *

 _ **So, do you think he really screwed up, or is there hope still?**_

 _ **Let me know what you think!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Since some of you are asking about the timeline here, I thought I would clarify. This story is not canon and I had no particular time frame in mind, other than this story occurring sometime after Longshadow's staking.**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. You are all very kind towards this story and I appreciate the feedback.**_

 _ **As always, I do not own these characters**_.

* * *

"I want to know what makes you so different."

It was 4:38 on a Saturday morning and Sookie resisted the urge to yawn. It had been a week since her phone had rung in the middle of the night. She should have been grateful for his consideration, but the truth was she spent the last week in a state of fitful alertness, waking several times each night to check the phone for missed calls. The vampire would never know it, but disappointment flowed every time the display on her brand new phone confirmed she had zero missed calls.

"You know what's different about me. It's the telepathy." If he was going to pretend the intervening week hadn't happened, she could play that game, too.

"No," he told her, his voice deep and insistent. "That's just part of the equation. I want to know the other part. I want to know everything about you."

The week had been a tough one for the Viking. Every thought led back to the charming southern belle, despite his resolve to put her from his mind. His mood, not to mention his temper, had been foul for the last six nights and even Pamela was beginning to question what his problem was. He had no secrets from his child, but somehow could not confess his issues with the telepath. For the first time in many long years, Eric Northman had a problem he could not solve.

"Gran always told me a woman should keep some of her mysteries to herself," Sookie responded. If she was prevaricating, could she be blamed? His blanket declaration of 'everything' still didn't truly explain what he really wanted from her.

"Then tell me something about you which is not a mystery," he shot back. "If you can find something, that is."

"What do you mean by that?" Curiosity and sleepiness didn't mix and Sookie let go of the suppressed yawn. "Other than my telepathy, there's no mystery about me. I'm an open book."

Eric laughed; a deep, rumbling sound that did queer things to the girl's tummy. She could almost picture how his beautiful blue eyes would twinkle with amusement. His lighthearted nature was the thing she liked most about him. The world weary vampire and the backwater waitress didn't have much in common, but they did share an unmistakable zest for life; the joie de vivre Bill had suggested.

"I call complete bullshit on that one, lover," he said, still laughing quietly. "You are a complete mystery or enigma, if you prefer. I'm starting to settle on conundrum myself."

"A problem, a question, a riddle, perhaps?" It was her turn to laugh, even if hers was more wry than amused. "I can do synonyms, too, and all of those sum _you_ up completely. And I'm not your lover."

"The problem isn't me; the problem is your boyfriend. The question is why are you still with him? The question doubles as the riddle, my _future_ lover, because I can't figure out why the hell you're still with him."

"The problem isn't my boyfriend; the problem is you won't tell me what you want from me. The question is what do you want from me and they both come down to the root of the riddle: Why would you want anything from me?"

"I've told you many times. I want you to break up with him. Tell him that it's over," he said, still avoiding a proper answer. "He's not right for you and you know it."

"What makes you an expert on what's right for me? You can't even tell me why you keep waking me up in the middle of the night."

"I told you why. You are different, sweet Sookie and I need to know why." The need to understand her had become an obsession with the vampire. His desire to bed the luscious telepath hadn't lessened any, but his need to actually _know_ her was surpassing it.

"I'm really not, you know. I'm really quite ordinary, if you don't count the telepathy." She wasn't ready to delve into the analysis this was going to require, but she couldn't stand the idea that he would somehow be disappointed when he finally realized she was as ordinary as she said. Her inexperience and sheltered upbringing prevented her from understanding she was everything he claimed and more.

"The fact you don't see it makes you even more special," he declared. "Most women - most _people_ \- see themselves as superior to their natural state."

"I'm flattered you think I'm special, but you don't know me well enough to know that. The only thing unique about me is the telepathy, the very thing that also proves how wrong you are."

"How so?"

"I've been hearing what folks think of me my whole life, Eric. Friends, family, neighbors and strangers; I've heard it all and trust me when I tell you that other than my Gran, you're the only one who thinks there's anything special about me."

Not once had the vampire considered her telepathy to be anything other than a spectacular gift, but her quietly spoken words gave him pause. He never gave a fuck what anyone thought of him, but he'd never been forced to listen to those thoughts. For the first time, he saw why she might consider it a curse.

"People are naturally repelled by what they don't understand and I doubt the fine folks of Bon Temps have ever seen anything like you before. What they can't explain, they try to dismiss. This has made it difficult for you to see how special you are, but that doesn't mean you are not special. It means they are not special."

He was right, of course. There was hardly a soul in Bonus Temps who hadn't thought of her as different in some way. She'd heard herself described as a witch, a mind reader, crazy, psychic...you name it, they'd thought it. But it was more than difficult to see past it when it had infiltrated her very psyche. It was impossible.

"We'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. I know what I have always heard and most of it has nothing to do with whether or not I'm different," she dismissed. "I think the reason you believe I'm mysterious or unique because I don't give you what you want."

"Mysterious _and_ unique, and I have faith we will come to an agreement about what we both want soon enough. Just as soon as you break up with him."

"Do you ever give up?"

"Never," he declared proudly. "It's one of my better traits."

"I don't get you, Eric. You are so persistent, but I wonder if you even know what you want. What do you think is going to happen when I break up with Bill?"

" _When_ you break up with Bill?" He chuckled softly. "Freudian slip, lover?"

"Slip of the tongue is more like it. I meant to say if," she covered her mistake easily.

"Sure," he teased gently. "When you break up with him, I hope you'd be more amenable to spending time with me."

"As what? Your date or your dinner?"

"Surely that was uncalled for." She'd regretted her approach as soon as the words had left her mouth and apologized willingly.

"I'm sorry. Forgive my sarcasm, but it's like pullin' frickin' teeth with you. You're full of mixed signals and I don't know what to make of you. I'm not saying I'm breaking up with him, but are what? You want to date me if I were single? Because I already told you, I don't do casual."

"You'll leave him eventually and I remember what you said. I don't think of you like them, Sookie. You're not a fangbanger and I would never treat you like that. I want to understand you better and to do that we must spend time together."

"I think we're crossing all kinds of lines here. Whether I stay with him or not, right now he's still my boyfriend and I shouldn't be having this conversation with you." Her need to know what he wanted from her outstripped her common sense and she struggled to toe the right line.

"I don't understand the hold he has on you," he replied with some frustration. "His blood can only account for so much."

"What does his blood have to do with it?"

* * *

 _ **Yes, this conversation is a two parter. It would have been monstrous as a single chapter and out of step with the rest of the story.**_

 _ **Hope you like it so far! Please let me know what you think!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**I couldn't leave you hanging too long for the second part of their talk. Hope you enjoy it!**_

 _ **Charlaine Harris owns these characters.**_

* * *

"What does his blood have to do with it?"

"It's the only explanation. What did you like about him when you met?"

"I thought he was handsome and the silence of his mind was really appealing."

"There are many even more handsome, and the silence comes with every vampire mind, does it not? It's the blood," he stated authoritatively.

"Why does it always have to come back to blood?"

He laughed shortly, a sound without humor. "I am vampire. It always comes back to blood, sweet Sookie."

"I'm not dumb, Eric." Her tone was sharper than she intended and she took a deep breath before continuing. "You are vampire. I am not. Why would you think I'm controlled by his blood?"

"Did Bill not tell you how vampire blood affects humans?" Eric's reply was sharper, too, as he considered the implications of her statement. Could she truly not understand the consequences of their blood exchanges?

"Yes, he did," she told him flatly. "Better reflexes, sharper senses and improved appearance. I have all of those things, but I'm not with Bill for those reasons."

"All of those things are true," he confirmed slowly. "But they don't represent the entire picture. Did he tell you anything else?"

"Well, yes." Her comfort level plummeted as she tried to find the words to explain. "I know about the dreams, too. He did warn me about that."

"Dreams," Eric retorted caustically. "Is that what he told you? That you would dream of him?"

"Yes. He said because I was already attracted to him, the blood would cause me to dream of him." Her mind flickered to the few mild-mannered dreams featuring Bill before inevitably recalling the steamy, torrid nighttime visions starring the vampire on the other end of the phone.

"And _were_ you really attracted to him before you took his blood?" The relationship between the civil war vampire and the telepath was puzzling. Not for a moment did the Viking believe Bill's claim to be mainstreaming, and while he couldn't truly say he knew the telepath well, what he did know didn't suggest she would find the younger vampire appealing.

"No." An uncomfortable moment passed before she continued. "I didn't even know him then."

"What do you mean?" His question was as sharp as his curiosity.

"I only met him the night before he gave me blood," Sookie explained defensively. "I was injured quite badly and he told me his blood would help. I didn't know him, so no, I wasn't attracted to him then, but I didn't want to die, either."

Silence reigned supreme and the telepath fidgeted with the edge of her comforter as she waited for Eric to respond. Their late night talks had given her some insight into his behaviour and she took his silence to mean he was contemplating her story. Why he cared so much was as much a mystery to her as why she cared if he cared. She had a boyfriend, and even though she was beginning to agree that he wasn't the one for her, she shouldn't care so much about Eric's opinion. She did, though, and that revelation provided even more food for thought.

"How did you become injured?"

Painful memories of the vicious beating she'd sustained came rushing to the forefront of her mind, only to be pushed back savagely. The Ratt's had done enough damage and she refused to be haunted by the memories of the pain and humiliation she'd experienced at their hands.

"The Rattray's retaliated after I stopped them from draining Bill the night before," she related calmly. "They beat me up pretty bad and Bill told me I might die from my injuries if I didn't take his blood."

"Drainers!" His shock and surprise were evident. He hadn't been informed of this problem and he wondered why. Most vampires couldn't wait to report such happenings, but Area Five's newest resident hadn't even mentioned it. "When did this happen? Did you know these people?"

"It was a couple of weeks before we met and, yes, I knew them."

"You _knew_ them? Your phrasing suggests they are no longer available to be known." Drainers were a dangerous and unpredictable set, coming from every walk of life. They were dealt with swiftly and firmly, but there was a chain of command to be followed and just as he'd not been informed of their existence, there was no corresponding report of their death.

"I don't think they'll be causing any more trouble," she replied after a significant pause, confirming his suspicions and fueling more. Bill was lying about his lackluster efforts to mainstream, but to what end?

"Tell me what happened," he said, barely managing to make it sound more like a request than an order.

"Bill came into Merlotte's that first night and caused quite a stir. Everyone seemed to know what he was and it didn't take long for Denise and Mack Rattray to cozy up to him. I thought it was strange because they seemed to be the wrong kind to be getting friendly with a vampire. Anyway, later on they got Bill outside and I knew what they were going to do because I heard their heads. I went out to help."

"By yourself?"

"Well, there really wasn't time ever to waste finding someone and explaining it all. I didn't know how long he had."

"And there you go again," he murmured.

"What did you say?"

"There you go again," he repeated. "You say there's no mystery about you and then tell me a story about rushing into known and imminent danger to save a vampire you didn't even know."

"That's not a mystery; that's basic humanity. I couldn't let them kill him. Anyone would have done the same if they knew what was going on."

He knew how wrong she was on that score. Many would watch with pleasure, while others would simply turn away, but few would charge into the fray unarmed and alone.

"I've studied your humanity for over ten centuries and this cannot be explained as a simple act of human kindness. It takes a special blend of fearlessness, bravery and strength and that combination is rare. You are unique in the truest sense."

Sookie laughed. "If you say so," she replied dubiously. "You never did get to your point about Bill's blood and now I can't not know. What were you going to tell me?"

"You should question why it's there at all," he told her bluntly. "No matter what your boyfriend may have told you, what he did was very strange and highly unusual. Vampires don't simply donate to a worthy cause; we jealously hoard and guard our blood."

"But I was dying. He said so," she replied absently as her mind twirled and swirled into a tangled web of questions.

"That's what hospitals and doctors are for. I'm forever grateful to the smarmy prick, if he truly saved your life. But what he did would raise suspicion with just about every vampire in existence, Sookie. I find it suspicious and I think you should, as well."

"What do you mean, if he really saved my life?"

"He may have said you were dying, but would you know the truth? Was there time for a doctor? It seems to me he was looking for a reason to get his blood into you."

"Why would he do that? If the blood is precious, why would he give it to me?"

"That's what I want to know, too. It is even more unusual to offer blood after a draining; he would weaken himself even further."

"He offered me his blood that first night," Sookie informed him slowly. "The Ratt's had siphoned it into bottles and he offered it to me."

"He should have drunk it as soon as he was able," Eric replied, a frown marring his handsome face. "He would have needed it to heal."

"Then why offer it to me?" She was puzzled and a little disturbed by these revelations. His explanations had been taken at face value at the time; the telepath had simply been grateful to be alive. Eric's perspective on the situation was vastly different than Bill's casual attitude and now she wondered whether her naivety was biting her in the ass.

"That's the question, isn't it? I would guess he wanted to bring you under his influence."

"How would that work?" Out of all the reasons Bill had given, control was not one of them. Sookie winced as she recalled how he'd pressed even more blood on her before their ill-fated second meeting with Eric. Every instinct had told her to refuse it, but she'd capitulated without much fight. "Can his blood control my thoughts or actions?"

"Yes, and no." This was not the conversation he'd envisioned, and one he'd never had with a human before, but she needed to know. The younger vampire's actions were suspect and Eric's interest in the telepath surpassed his natural reluctance to explain the magic inhabiting their blood. "Practically speaking, the only reason a vampire would give blood is to exert a measure of control, or to be able to track the human's movements and honesty."

"Can you explain that?" In for a penny, in for a pound. It was one of Gran's favorite sayings and Sookie thought it suited the moment. Ignorance might be bliss, but she could not longer claim that state. What she'd learned could not be undone now and the only recourse was to absorb the crash course Eric was providing.

"The magic which animates us resides in our blood. We still have some control of the it, even if it is another body. We can tell where our blood is fairly easily and it can tell us the emotional state of the host. Every subsequent infusion increases the control available to us. He would know where you are and what you're feeling."

"So, if I've had blood twice, what would that mean for me?"

"Twice?" he questioned sharply.

"The night I read your employees, he told me it would be better - I would be stronger - if I had more of his blood."

"Is that so?" Even though the night had ended disastrously, there had been no reason for Bill to expect trouble. There was no way this was as innocent as he claimed. "Does the blood help with the telepathy?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I've had more success with shielding my brain, but that's probably because Bill's been helping me practice."

"Shielding?"

"Learning to keep the thoughts out," she explained.

"The exact opposite of what you planned to do that night," he pointed out. "Giving you blood seems counterproductive, don't you think?"

"I honestly don't know what to think." All the thinking of the past couple weeks was thrown out the window as she considered all Eric revealed. Indignation boiled within as she prepared a mental checklist of all the lies, and deliberate omissions, Bill had heaped upon her. "I'm mad as hell and I don't understand all of this."

"And I have no more time for explanations," he told her.

"You can't just leave me hanging like this!"

He chuckled softly. "I must. The sun is rising and I have no choice."

"Damn," she replied as she finally noticed the changing sky outside her window. "It's almost dawn. How are you still so alert?"

"First of all, vampires don't get groggy. There is complete awareness until the precise moment we succumb to our rest. Secondly, I'm able to stay awake for a while after the sun rises and I generally rise well before the sun sets. It's a perk of my advanced age."

"That's really cool," she enthused. "You get extra time every night."

"It is indeed cool," he replied with a smile on his face. "But this night is ending and I regretfully must say goodnight."

"Will you call me tomorrow? I really need to know the rest of this."

"I will," he confirmed.

"Okay, then. We'll talk tomorrow. Good night, Eric."

"There's one thing I'd like to know first."

"What is it?"

"What are you wearing?"

"Oh my God," she exclaimed. "Pyjamas, Eric. Plain old flannels."

"Delightful," he murmured with amusement. "Goodnight, Sookie."

"Night, Eric."

* * *

 _ **The cat's out of the bag now. What do you think?**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thanks for the amazing support you've shown for this little story. It's been fun to write and your response has made it even better. I love you all!**_

 _ **As always, I do not own these characters.**_

* * *

The sun was barely swallowed by the horizon when the phone rang. Pleasantries were skipped and her tattered nerves soothed as he answered some of the questions which had been burning all day. The secrets divulged were fascinating and the information provided was compiled, analyzed and stacked neatly in the mounting pile of evidence against Bill Compton.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is this?"

"Twenty," he replied with a short laugh. "If this were a television show, everyone would be screaming at your character to run for the hills, or to at least ask the obvious questions. I'm sure you've thought it through. What do you think?"

"I think if this was a TV show, they'd probably have me running to you like a damsel in distress," she replied with a hollow laugh of her own. "I know it's bad, I'm just trying to figure out what the obvious questions are, other than why. What do you think?"

"I think I'm not going to make your night any better by telling you what I think." If his suspicions were correct, breaking up with Bill was the least of the problems she faced.

"Bring it on. I've come this far without withering and fainting away. I may not like it, but I can handle it."

Backbone. He liked that. "Bill didn't move to Bon Temps to mainstream or reclaim that ramshackle house. It was no coincidence he was there when you needed blood."

A soft sigh escaped her as she faced his suppositions. "Why would he set me up like this?"

"I'm over a thousand and you're the only telepath I've ever known," he told her, letting the statement stand for itself.

"But he didn't even know until I told him."

"You didn't know he knew until you told him," he corrected pointedly. "I believe you offered confirmation."

"He's from New Orleans and I've never been there."

"Others know of your gift. Vampires always pay attention to stories of strange or unusual people; more often than not, it's supernatural abilities which cannot be explained by humans."

"Folks around here think of Shreveport as the city; hardly anyone ever visits New Orleans. Even if they did, I doubt they'd be talking about me."

"I could be wrong," he suggested in a manner which implied he was not. She snorted her disbelief before replying.

"I'm sorry, but you were right. This doesn't make my night any easier and it's probably going to get worse from here."

"You're not in this alone." Where the words came from, or why they sprang to his lips at all would be dissected and examined later but for the moment, the ancient vampire felt good about his snap decision to throw his support behind the telepath.

"I appreciate that, Eric. I really do. Why are you doing all this for me?"

"I find myself quite fascinated by you." It was a simple description of his growing interest.

"Do you go above and beyond like this for all the women you pursue?"

"I don't pursue women and I don't usually go above and beyond for anyone."

"What makes me special?"

"You are a beautiful, intelligent woman, Sookie. You make it sound like no one has ever shown interest in you before."

"That's because they haven't," she retorted. "I went on a few dates when I was still in school, but it was too hard to block their thoughts. Since everyone around here thinks I'm crazy anyway, no one else ever really asked."

"No one?" Her disclosure stunned him. The innocence surrounding her was more than a simple aura; if not for Bill Compton, it would be fact.

"Nope. Bill has been my only boyfriend." A bitter laughed escaped her throat. "And since that's all just a big fat lie, I guess I can still say I've never been in a real relationship. How sad is that?"

"It's not sad to wait for the right person."

"Is that supposed to be you?"

"It's sure as hell not him. Break up with him and we can see if it is me. At least I'm honest about my intentions."

"You've been honest about wanting to sleep with me. Have you even been honest with yourself about the rest?"

It was part of her charm, he thought. No one else called him out quite the way she did. The fact she was right was less charming, but her astuteness was appreciated.

"We could turn this around and say the same of you," he pointed out lightly. "You answer my calls, sweet Sookie. You think you know what I want from you, yet you still talk to me in the middle of the night. Have you been honest with yourself?"

Had she? There'd been dreams and daydreams, too, but was she brave enough to wake up?

"You're interesting. And frustrating. I'm flattered, of course, but I'm puzzled and confused, too," she admitted bravely. "I'm trying to figure you out, but I think I've got a long way to go yet."

"I couldn't have put it better myself. I need to know everything there is to know about you. There is no explanation; it just is."

The line was silent as both parties gave fleeting, but meaningful thought to what being involved with the other might entail. A hazy picture emerged, blurry and indistinct, but still satisfactory to both.

"I know," she sighed. "I'll do it tonight."

"Do what?"

"I'll tell him that it's over."

* * *

 _ **She sees the light….**_

 _ **What do you think?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**We're getting closer to the end now! For all of you worried about how Eric was going to keep her safe, I hope this chapter works for you.**_

 _ **As always, I own nothing. That right belongs to Charlaine Harris**_.

* * *

"I really think you're getting too much pleasure from this."

"Nonsense," he retorted silkily. "There's no such thing as too much pleasure."

"Mind out of the gutter, mister. What I meant is you're getting too much satisfaction."

"Pleasure and satisfaction go hand in hand," he came back with, laughing as she groaned. "You'll learn I'm right. There really is no such thing as too much."

"Are you really flirting with me as we wait for my boyfriend to show up so I can break up with him?" Her mock annoyance was in jest; she didn't consider herself tied to Bill any longer and Eric flirting was the same as her breathing.

"Why not? I thought we'd already established that he's a no good son of a bitch who's not only wrong for you, but who wasn't even good enough to look at you in the first place?"

"You have a point there," she joked with him. "Let the flirting recommence." Her laughter was genuine and the vampire smiled to himself.

Two nights had passed since Sookie declared she was leaving Bill and while both chafed at the delay, it was practically unavoidable. The younger vampire was unpredictable, leaving dangerous repercussions to avoid. The plan he'd designed was ingenious; no immediate physical harm could befall her as she gave him the news and he got to watch the devious bastard as it happened. It was perfect, and yes, he did derive great pleasure and satisfaction from it.

"You realize your only excuse disappears tonight, don't you? You will be a single woman very soon. Want to celebrate?"

"You realize I'm not jumping from one man to another without at least a couple of days separating everyone, don't you? I'm going to be a single woman for more than tonight."

"Uh-huh," he agreed with some part of what she said. "So was that a yes or no on the celebration?"

"I'll give you an answer on that after," she answered pertly. She was nervous, despite his efforts to keep her amused and relaxed. "But I'm pretty sure post break-up celebration is traditionally going out with your girlfriends and bitching about everything that was wrong with your ex. In my case that would probably mean getting drunk with Lafayette since he's the only one who never gave me a hard time about dating a vampire."

"Who is this Lafayette?" An emotion even he admitted might be jealousy reared its ugly head while he struggled to regain his composure.

"Lafayette is Bon Temps first and only out and proud gay man, who also happens to be quite flamboyant and totally inappropriate at times. I can't imagine what it would take for him to turn his back on me."

"I like him already," the vampire declared firmly as the beast inside him settled for the time being, still coiled and poised to strike again at unexpected moments. "Getting drunk with a friend might be what you need, and please do bitch about him all you like, but be careful what you divulge while under the influence."

"You're talking to a seasoned pro here," she reminded him. "I know more secrets than anyone has a right to and I've never talked about any of them, even when I drink. Trust me. Yours are always safe with me."

"You're up, buttercup," he told her, pleased to have a reason to not think about the inordinate amount of trust he did have in her. "He just walked in."

"Uuhhh," she replied with a groan. "I don't want to do this. Why can't I pretend I just never met him?"

"Because if you never met him, you may never have met me," he told her seriously. "Do it now, my future lover, and it will be over quicker than you can imagine."

"Easy for you to say," she grumbled. "All you have to do is watch him and you're going to have fun doing that. And you've really _got_ to stop callin' me that."

"I'll try to restrain my enthusiasm, if that would help," he offered helpfully, but both knew it to be a lie. This moment promised to be one of the best in modern memory.

"At least I don't have to worry about you popping some corn and settling in for the show," she muttered.

"Nope. Best I could do is a bottle of True Blood and a straw," he laughed. "It won't be that bad. Just keep it short and sweet and don't tell him what you know."

"Okay. I'm going to do it. Call me when it's done?"

"You have my word. Don't worry so much. We will keep an eye on him from here. He won't get close to you," he promised solemnly.

Fangtasia was hopping, but the raised platform offered a perfect view of the younger vampire. Bill stopped at the bar, exchanging quick words with the new bartender before his eyes scanned the crowd, landing unhappily on his Sheriff. A direct order had been necessary to ensure his presence this evening and his displeasure was conveyed in his expression. Eric watched as he took two steps towards him, before stopping to withdraw his phone from the pocket of his pleated khakis.

Sookie was right. He was deriving entirely too much pleasure from the situation, but he didn't care. His neutral expression didn't falter as he listened in on Bill's side of the conversation. To the casual observer, the handsome blonde vampire appeared interested in nothing more than his phone, but not a single pleading note was missed.

Amusement faded as Sookie's soon to be ex reacted to the news he was receiving. His words became more desperate, but his expression - and the rage burning in his eyes - confirmed all the Viking needed to know. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he fired off multiple texts to ensure all the players were ready for the game to begin.

No more than three or four minutes passed before the conversation ended and Bill approached with a sour face and tense demeanor, the phone still clutched in his hand.

"What do you want from me, Eric? I have important matters to attend to," he stated pompously.

"So I heard," came the mocking reply. "Trouble controlling your human, Bill?"

"A minor disagreement," he stated, waving his hand impatiently. "Nothing to concern yourself with. Why am I here?"

"You will have to ask Pamela for the details," Eric replied dismissively. "Some type of discrepancies in your paperwork, I believe."

"Surely this could have waited."

"She can be tedious at times, but she's really quite efficient. She likes to keep her paperwork in order." Pamela would in fact be immensely irritated by the amount of paperwork this night would entail, but she was also an eager participant.

"Where is she? I'd like to get this dealt with so I can leave."

"You can wait for her downstairs. She won't keep you waiting long," Eric assured him smoothly. "It's the door at the end of the bar."

The dark haired vampire turned without a word and moved quickly through the crowd, impatiently pushing past any in his way. As he opened the heavy steel door and stepped into the beyond, the ancient one smiled grimly, satisfaction lightening the tense lines of his face. Swift finagling and creative storytelling would be necessary, but Bill Compton's fate was sealed as the door closed behind him.

Familiar numbers were dialed and the first ring barely sounded before he heard her voice.

"Eric?"

"It is me. You did well, lover. It's over now."

* * *

 _ **We all know it can't quite be over yet, right? The Queen has not spoken, but we'll learn more about that next chapter!**_

 _ **What do you think?**_


	9. Chapter 9

As always, I own nothing. That privilege belongs to Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball.

* * *

"No, Eric," she said with a touch of exasperation. "You can't kill Bill."

"Why not? It really would be for the best," he replied with amusement lacing his voice. "Not to mention how thoroughly satisfying it would be."

"I can't live with a man's death on my conscience," she stated firmly. "No matter how much satisfaction you'd get - which, by the way, is really quite gross."

"A vampire, not a man," he corrected, suppressing a laugh. "A vampire who was willing to trade you into slavery, if you will recall. You would be safer if he were dead, and I can hide my satisfaction if it offends you."

"You can't just kill him. Your bloody lunatic Queen is the reason he did what he did."

It required but a pitiable level of effort on Pam's part before Bill capitulated and confirmed her sire's worst suspicions. Last night's chat had turned into a complex and illuminating conversation, with Sookie learning of the real dangers facing her and Eric learning just how far he was willing to go to protect her.

"It will be much more difficult to get my 'lunatic Queen' to buy this story we're selling with Bill Compton contradicting every damn word. Killing him is something she'd understand and accept if he tried to take what's mine," Eric pointed out bluntly.

"Trust me, I understand why killing him makes sense, but I can't accept it, no matter what it means for me." Her tone was unwavering and his respect for her climbed another notch. Character. It was an abundant trait, if an inconvenient one.

"If she is to believe you are mine, you must smell like me," he broached the new topic delicately. "We will have no claim otherwise."

"What are you saying?"

"When she calls us to New Orleans - and she will - she will expect us to smell like the couple we claim to be," he replied diplomatically.

"Is this another one of your not so subtle invitations for sex?"

"No. This is life and death serious. We don't have to have sex, but we're going to have to get up close and personal right before we see her. You're also going to have to take some of my blood and I'll need some of yours."

A long moment of silence greeted his statement. "Is that completely necessary?"

"Yes."

"Promise this isn't a trick? You're not lying to me?"

"I haven't lied to you yet and I'm not going to start now," he answered seriously. "Taking my blood is the only way to make it plausible."

"You do realize how blatantly unfair all of this is, right? Your crackpot Queen wants to add me to her exotic animal collection and my only recourse is to take even more vampire blood. This is America. I should have every right to tell her to kiss my ass, not have to grovel and pretend to be your frickin' toy."

A brief impulse to correct her terminology was squashed. The proper term would only further the exotic animal narrative, one he was not eager to explore.

"I'd avoid any offer of body parts, if I were you. She would undoubtedly find your ass as delectable as I do."

"Oh, my God! I'm trying to be serious!"

"As am I. If she succeeded in luring you to her court, I can assure you she would try to lure you to her bed, as well," he relayed honestly.

"Well, that's sure as hell not happening!" The girl's head swung back and forth with indignation. "All right. If I wasn't convinced before, I am now. What do we have to do?"

"We have to hope to hell she falls our story," he said grimly. "She will assume I have no reason to lie to her, but will question why I haven't told her of your talent."

"How long am I supposed to have been your fake girlfriend?"

"A couple of months, at least. She will be surprised I've given you blood, but her suspicion would rise on a shorter time frame."

"Okay, so if we're still supposed to be in the 'getting to know you' phase, you can say I only told you recently. It's not like I run around telling people all the time. Tell her I decided I could trust you with all my secrets when you saved me from Bill," she suggested helpfully.

"That could work. I plan on downplaying your strength, in any event. Should she call us both to New Orleans, you will have to go along with whatever I've told her. Matching stories; a united front." The game he played with the Queen was exquisitely dangerous; one misstep and their entire story - their world, actually - could collapse around them.

"No matter what, this is going to change my life, isn't it?" A moment of clarity dawned. "I'm never going to go back to being plain old Sookie Stackhouse, am I?"

"No. I'm afraid not." The unfamiliar empathy twisted his insides. "I will do what I can to protect you, but there's no putting the genie back now."

The line was silent for what seemed like long minutes. The telepath considered the ramifications of his help while the vampire still struggled to understand why he was helping at all. A deeper connection than he'd anticipated came from their innocently flirtatious conversations, but his resulting behaviour was unprecedented. Explanation eluded him, but he found himself strangely unwilling to step back and let any harm befall her.

"It won't be all bad," he consoled her teasingly. "You do get to be the girlfriend of a handsome and charming vampire."

"The pretend girlfriend of a conceited and arrogant vampire," she retorted. "This is not real, Eric."

"It could be."

The silky sweet words teased every sensibility she possessed, leaving her to wonder if he were perhaps right. He had proven without a doubt he was not the man, nor vampire, she'd believed him to be. The fantasy he offered looked doable in the right light, but she knew it was what lurked in the shadows that counted most.

"Neither of us can say that. We've never even been on a date. You've already taken on extraordinary complications for me; you don't need to dig yourself deeper like that. You may find I'm not all that exciting when the chase is over."

"Do you really believe I would have taken these steps if I wasn't sure?" His question was phrased confidently, as if the answer were a foregone conclusion. He was sure of his intentions towards her. Reason completely eluded him, but he was sure. "And we can remedy the date situation anytime you like. Tonight?"

"It's too late tonight. I'm all ready for bed."

A deeply appreciative hum sent shivers down her spine.

"What are you wearing?" The grin on his face could almost be heard in his voice.

"Oh, Lord! Are we back to this again?"

"That's not an answer," he chided playfully.

"Pyjamas, then," she capitulated quickly.

"The same plain old flannels from before?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," she lied easily.

"Tsk, tsk," he tutted deliberately. "I have it on good authority that it's a bad idea to start a relationship with lies."

"What makes you believe I'm lying?" Sookie tried hard to keep the guilt from her tone, but the emotion swamped her as she took in the thin cotton camisole and panties adorning her curvaceous frame.

"Even vampires know you don't wear flannel in this heat," he informed her smoothly. "And you simply don't strike me as a flannel pyjamas kind of girl. You'd be magnificent draped in the finest of silks, but I suspect you're most fond of cotton."

"It's the fabric of the South," she replied smartly, trying not to let his seductive tone drown her.

"And a magnificent fabric it is," he murmured in reply. "Almost as soft and appealing as warm skin, stretching and clinging to all your curves. Pretty in pink is how I see you; your skin glowing as golden as your beautiful hair."

That pesky guilt caused the breath to hitch in her throat as her eyes squeezed shut. It was if he could see her lie. His description was as accurate, almost as if he could envision her. Almost as if he could actually see her.

"Eric Northman!" His name came out of her mouth like a scandalized curse. Her golden mane swung around her tanned shoulders as she spun around to face the window. "Are you spying on me?"

"No," he chuckled. "I prefer to call it watching. And you are pretty in pink, lover."

"You're a perverted jerk, you know that? How long have you been out there?" She huffed before stomping off to slide a robe over her revealing outfit.

"Wondering how much I saw, lover?" His laughter could be heard through the phone and the thin pane of glass separating them. Glaring at the window, she hung up the phone before moving to slide the old wooden frame open.

"Nope. I changed in the bathroom, Mr. Smarty Pants," she retorted snarkily, all the while trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. "If you'd been here that long, you'd know that. But it's still rude - and creepy - to spy on girls through their bedroom windows, I'll have you know."

"I was going to knock on the door. But then, since you said you were ready for bed already, I thought it might be more considerate to use the window. Was I wrong?" His seemingly innocent question had the telepath shaking her head and sighing with exasperation. How in the world could she expect a thousand year old being to change his stripes to accommodate her somewhat antiquated Southern ideas of modesty and all that's proper and right?

"If you're gonna have me breaking all the rules, I'm not starting with this one," she admonished with a shake of her head. "If you must come calling unannounced at this hour, you will use the front door, Mr. Northman."

A smirk graced the vampire's handsome face as he took a moment to watch her spin on her heel to walk from the room with her head held high and hands tightening the belt on her white robe. The smirk turned into a hearty chuckle as he flew around the perimeter of the old farmhouse to gracefully land at her front door just as she disengaged the locks. Controlling his amusement, he waited for his future lover to open the door and invite him in.

Yes, Sookie Stackhouse was going to make a fine 'pretend' girlfriend.


End file.
